Bloomipedia
Checkered rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera tesselata)
Photo: Lynn Harper via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized

Flower profile

Checkered rattlesnake plantain

Goodyera tesselata

Checkered rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera tesselata) is a flowering plant in the Orchidaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly July–August across the U.S.

Native to Massachusetts

Checkered rattlesnake plantain is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.

14states where USDA records it
1,641MA sightings*
3,438U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Massachusetts

Quick look

Goodyera tesselata is a plant in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), called by the common name checkered rattlesnake plantain. It is native to eastern Canada from Manitoba to Newfoundland, and to the northeastern United States from Maine to Maryland, west to Minnesota.

  • It belongs to the Orchidaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 14 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Massachusetts. NatureServe
  • iNaturalist has 1,641 research-grade sightings of it in Massachusetts, ranking #93 among the 188 flowers on our Massachusetts list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month in Massachusetts (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (43 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
Massachusetts
Not listed Not on Massachusetts Endangered Species Act list (321 CMR 10.90). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Massachusetts. MESA list
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: MD (SH), NJ (S1), OH (SH), PA (S2), RI (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records checkered rattlesnake plantain in 14 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin.

Massachusetts counties with USDA records: Barnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Worcester.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Peramium tesselatum.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 136 counties across 13 states; the most are in Michigan (26), New York (26), Maine (14).

Other Goodyera on Bloomipedia (2): Downy rattlesnake plantain, Western rattlesnake plantain.

More from the Orchidaceae family (23 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Pink lady's slipper, Crane-fly orchid, Broad-leaved helleborine, Spotted coralroot, Showy orchis, Putty root, White bog orchid, Yellow lady's slipper.

More Massachusetts flowers

Pink lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule)

Pink lady's slipper

Cypripedium acaule

★ NH state wildflowerNative

🌼 Blooms in MA: May–June
Downy rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera pubescens)

Downy rattlesnake plantain

Goodyera pubescens

Native

🌼 Blooms in MA: July–August
Roses (genus Rosa) (Rosa)

Roses (genus Rosa)

Rosa

★ NY state flower🌷 Garden flower

🌼 Blooms in MA: May–July

Sources

  • USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile GOTE.
  • iNaturalist, Goodyera tesselata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
  • Wikipedia, Goodyera tesselata (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
  • Massachusetts: Massachusetts Endangered Species Act list (321 CMR 10.90).
  • Massachusetts: Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List (MDAR) (Text from MDAR's 2023 scientific-name PDF (mass.gov blocks automated downloads); 2024-2026 additions listed on the mass.gov page: Alnus glutinosa, Pyrus calleryana, Miscanthus sinensis, Aralia elata, Rhodotypos scandens, Symplocos paniculata.).
  • USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
  • NatureServe Explorer, Goodyera tesselata (global and state ranks).
  • Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
  • Photo: Lynn Harper via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.